


Blind Hunt

by extremelyperturbed



Series: Darkness [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Cannibalism, Drama, F/M, Horror, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Multiple Deaths, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:28:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the same universe as Hunters in the Dark and One Minute Before Midnight.  </p>
<p>Hannibal and Will, two members of the same monster species, are living in Europe but Hannibal left some very angry people in the States who are willing to pay for hunters to go and track him down.  </p>
<p>Beverly's friend Dean Winchester knows of this and decides to try to get Will out of the crossfire.  Unfortunately for them, Hannibal catches wind of what they're up to and has countermeasures in mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gifts

The quivering beast’s heart Hannibal held in his gloved hand was the size of a large cantaloupe, steam coming off it in the frigid air. It had taken weeks of hunting in the more remote part of the Pyrenees but they had tracked down a once proud bear god that now behaved as if little more than the animal whose form it took. Hannibal took the knife he had used to butcher it out of the ancient bear god and cut a piece from the heart like one would from an apple. Holding out the knife with the slice of meat on top, he said, “Here.”

Will looked at it, surprised. “I thought you loved heart.” Usually, it was Hannibal who enjoyed viscera while Will ate the muscle of any animal or monster they caught. 

“I do, but there‘s a reason why I wanted to hunt this one,” said Hannibal. “The organs of a spirit creature is filled with power, especially the heart. Eating this will make you strong and it’ll keep you from getting killed by a shotgun blast, even if it’s silver. Please, eat.” 

Will took the strip and put it in his mouth and found that despite the slightly chewy texture, it was tasty. He licked his lips and was about to ask for more when he noticed Hannibal smiling at him, holding out a larger strip in his ungloved hand. 

Will bent down and took the meat from Hannibal’s hand with his lips. Holding on to Hannibal’s hand, he licked off the blood, working his tongue over his palm and fingers, which made Hannibal sigh with pleasure. After eating a few slices himself, Hannibal cut the rest of the heart into pieces and fed the rest of the heart to Will by hand, enjoying a tongue bath of his hand each time. 

He noticed that Will’s smiling lips were smeared with blood and a crimson drop ran down Will’s chin, that he would’ve found sloppy if it was someone else but deliciously hot when it was Will. He threw what little remained of the heart aside unto the bear’s carcass, took off his glove and took Will’s face in his hands before licking Will’s chin clean and kissing him, his tongue delving into Will’s mouth, sharing the taste of their victory over the creature. 

“I want you now,” said Hannibal before kneeling before Will.

“Are you nuts? It’s free . . .” Will’s protests were interrupted when Hannibal took Will’s erect cock out of his pants and quickly warmed it up by deep throating him down to the root. “Oh, my God,” he groaned. He moaned even louder when he felt Hannibal start to hum and whirl his tongue along the length. He had to lean against the bear’s carcass because hearing Hannibal making noises of moist appreciation and watching Hannibal’s lips stretched around his shaft made him weak in the knees. “Hannibal, I’m going to come,” Will choked out. 

After Will came in his mouth, Hannibal disengaged with a wet slurp before putting Will away in his pants. He flashed Will’s come on his tongue before making a show of swallowing it. 

“You should have waited until we hauled this thing back to the cabin,” said Will, his panting looking like fog in the cold air. “I’m all tired now.”

Hannibal stood and shrugged, unrepentant and smiling. “You made it very hard for me to resist. You can sleep when we get back.” 

***

Beverly looked through the peephole and rolled her eyes before opening her door.

“Ho, ho, ho,” said the man in the red suit and cap, holding a sack that presumably had presents, his green eyes flashing with mirth. “Has Beverly Katz been a good girl or a very bad girl?” 

“Who’s asking?” said Beverly. 

“It’s Winchester Claus, who knows who’s been naughty and nice.”

“How about nicely naughty?”

“That’s the best kind,” said Dean, finally using his real voice.

“Get in here,” she said, pulling him in over the threshold. 

After she closed the door, she said, “I didn’t know if you were going to come or not.”

“I made a promise. I drove all night to get here.” Dean smiled at the Christmas tree in the corner and the smell of things cooking in the kitchen. He slipped his shoes off, pulled his cap off and threw it to the side, slipped his arms around her and kissed her soft and welcoming lips.

He felt something nudge his leg and looked down. It was Winston, formerly one of Will’s many dogs. The other dogs had been adopted by Brian, Jimmy, Jack, and Alana but Beverly had ended up with Winston. Dean stepped back from Beverly, crouched down and enthusiastically petted the dog on the head. “How is Winston the Pooh?”

“I didn’t think I had it in me to be a dog owner but I’ve gotten a lot of help from my neighbor who dogsits while I’m at work. He’s been a real sweetheart. How’s hunting?”

“Oh, the usual. Mostly ghosts though I did nail a trickster and a djinn.”

“Wow, the things they don’t teach you at the Academy.” 

Dean shrugged. “Monsters are good at hiding. It‘s like that Kevin Spacey movie where it’s said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.”

“Has there been any news . . .”

Dean sighed. “The last I heard, they somehow got to Europe. There’s nothing really formal about how hunters are organized but usually we leave each country to deal with their own monsters. We informed the few hunters we know over there about what Hannibal really is. I‘d go but I don‘t know the languages or the territory. If it‘s true Hannibal can understand opera in their original languages then he‘s totally got a leg up on most of the hunters I know. I know Latin and a little Spanish but other than that . . .”

“Do the hunters know that Will is . . .”

“I didn’t tell anybody that . . . But they’re going to know that Will is traveling with Hannibal and wondering why,” said Dean.

They were silent for a little while before Beverly said, “I got that spiral cut ham with that brown sugar glaze you like.”

“Tasty,” Dean said. “Mashed potatoes?”

“Yeah. And baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. Green beans and apple pie.”

“Oh. Comalicious.”

After Dean helped to set the table, they sat down to eat. “Any interesting cases?”

“You know I can’t really talk about any active cases. I will say that I don’t have any that seem to have anything supernatural connected to them.”

“That’s good. The last thing I want to talk to Jack Crawford about is anything like that. I’m just glad that last time he didn’t ask you too many questions.”

“As far as he knows, Will had most of the answers. Ever since then, he’s been flailing around for someone who has anything like Will’s gifts. I did hear that he’s tagged some people he thinks has some promise. In the meantime, most of the cases have been depending on what Brian, Jimmy and I can dig up.”

“I’m sure you’re doing an awesome job.”

“The ironic thing is that our workload has miraculously been cut by a tenth. It just makes me wonder how many murders Hannibal was behind.”

***

Inside the hunter’s cabin he had rented, Hannibal looked down at Will, who was still sleeping. As much as Will had fought becoming a ravenstag, Hannibal noticed that Will slept deeply and soundly every night after the initial transformation. He got out of bed and put on a white shirt, black pants and a full-length apron because he was going to turn the bear’s liver into pate and make a loaf of bread on which to spread it on. 

As he set out the ingredients, it came to him that it was Christmas Day. He frowned. Christmas didn’t have much meaning for him but it might have some importance for Will. He huffed in annoyance at himself for not remembering to get something. He decided that he would do something grand when they stopped at the next metropolis. 

He had the funds for anything that Will could wish for, though a dog would be too much trouble until they settled on a permanent residence. He thought briefly about what Will could give him in return. Since Hannibal was the one who had access to all the money, it wasn’t like Will could buy anything unless Hannibal gave him some money to shop with. And Hannibal could buy anything he wanted so it seemed a moot point to him. And Will had to leave so much behind that expecting more from him seemed the height of hubris.

After the bread was baked and the pate done, Hannibal scrubbed his hands and arms clean, took off his apron and went back to the bedroom to tell Will breakfast was ready. 

Hannibal was surprised to see Will in ravenstag form sitting on top of the bed. “Oh . . . Will,” said Hannibal, a smile of true delight on his face. 

“You’ve been asking me to see me in this form for months and this is Christmas Day so . . .”

“May I . . .”

“Yes . . . I‘ve already prepped myself for you.”

Hannibal threw his clothes to the side and transformed into ravenstag form as well. “You have been full of surprises lately, but I am not complaining.” Hannibal was trembling with lust as he joined Will on the bed, pulled Will towards him so Will was sitting on his lap with his thighs on each side of Hannibal. Hannibal licked the tip of Will’s nose then kissed him along the line of his jaw before he said, “I’m ashamed to say that I forgot to get you a Christmas present. That‘s very rude of me.”

Will shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Make me come, I’ll call it even. But first you have to catch me.” 

Will leapt off the bed and ran out of the room. Hannibal growled, aroused by both desire and the thrill of the hunt. 

Will only got thirty feet away from the cabin before Hannibal tackled him in the soft snow. Will laughed as Hannibal whispered, “You think you could get away?” In ravenstag form, they were indifferent to the cold. 

Will got on his hands and knees, and glanced back over his shoulder, flirtatiously. Hannibal wanted to toy with Will further but could no longer resist just fucking him and slowly he entered Will and draped himself over Will’s back so he could wrap his arms around him and begin thrusting rapidly and deeply inside of him to burn off the jittery buzz of adrenaline and lust. 

“I can feel you deep inside of me,” said Will, pushing back against him, extracting a moan from Hannibal. 

“If I could go deeper, I would,” said Hannibal, kissing the back of his neck and biting his left shoulder. Throughout the centuries, he had had countless human lovers but nothing satisfied him like this, being truly what he was and still being desired. 

After he finally came, he reached for Will’s own hard erection and gave him the few strokes it took to make him come onto the snow. 

“I wish . . .” said Hannibal as he slid out of Will. 

“You wish . . .”

“That you‘d do this more often.” He did wish that but there was also one other wish Hannibal had that could not be granted and that he kept quiet about. “Now lets get back into the cabin.”

***

Beverly woke up to find the other side of the bed empty but still warm. She frowned. He can’t have left already, she thought. We haven’t opened the presents yet. She put on a bathrobe and went down the stairs to see Dean sitting at the dinner table, looking at his laptop with a serious expression and occasionally stopping to take a sip of cocoa. “Bad news?”

Dean turned and smiled. “I left some cocoa for you in the pan . . . How about we open the presents first?” Dean closed the laptop and sat down near the tree. 

She sat down next to him. She opened the gifts from her family. “Yes, my yearly quota of gift cards has been filled.”

“Your family gives you gift cards?” said Dean. 

“My mom thinks they’re the best things ever. And my brothers agree. Trust me, their gift giving abilities are not so hot. It‘s either gift cards or a mountain of socks.”

Brian gave her macadamia nuts covered in chocolate. She opened up the box, popped one in her mouth then said, “Have one, they’re good.“ Dean took one and smiled as the chocolate melted in his mouth and the nuts were crushed between his teeth. Jimmy gave her a set of soaps. She sniffed them. “Nice, sandalwood.” There was a joint present from the Crawfords that turned out to be an herbal tea sampler. “Oh, cool,” she said. 

Once she put her gifts aside, she pulled out a box and handed it to Dean. “This is for you.”

“You shouldn’t . . .”

“Open it.”

Dean opened it and saw a leather jacket, the color of chocolate and made of lambskin. “Oh, wow, how much did this . . .”

“Shut up and wear it. It should fit.”

He put it on and found that it fit perfectly. “This is really awesome, Bev. I’m touched. Thank you.” He turned to his sack. 

“I hope it’s not laundry,” said Beverly.

Dean pulled out two boxes, one wrapped with gift wrap with cartoon dog bones and the other smaller wrapped up in gift wrap with . “I got a present for you and a present for Winston.”

“I’ll open the one for Winston first,” Beverly said. Inside was a leather collar and some rawhide treats and squeaky toys. “Awww, he’ll love these.” 

“Dogs are easy to please.”

“Now to open up the other box.” 

“I hope you like it. I’ve not had much practice in gift giving.” Most of his memories of Christmas had been pretty crappy when he was honest with himself. His father was often either drunk or absent and Sam was either in a sullen mood or had found a friend’s place to stay at so he could experience a more normal Christmas. 

“I’m sure I’ll like it.“ Beverly opened the box and found a smoky blue sweater. She felt the material and felt how soft it is. “It’s so soft. Is this cashmere?”

“That’s what it says on the label,” said Dean, looking relieved that she loved it.

“I love it. It‘s awesome.” She gave Dean a kiss on the lips and closed the box. Her expression turned serious. “Now how about you tell me what you were looking at on the computer.”

Dean sighed. “I was talking with a few hunter friends of mine. The hunters in Europe have been reluctant to go after Hannibal. It’s not just because he’s very dangerous. All hunts have an element of danger to them. It’s that Hannibal’s been responsible for going after pagan gods, djinns and supernatural animals like harpies and Arachne, the high powered stuff. He’s actually been helping them with their monster problems over there.” 

Beverly thought for a second. “I think Will’s been pushing Hannibal to do this, to hunt them instead of people.”

“He’s trying to make lemons into lemonade,” said Dean.

“Yeah.”

“Or Hannibal’s trying to get more bang for his buck. He gets goodwill from the hunting community there and introduces more variety to his diet. He’s not the type to do something out of the goodness of his heart. One hunter from Italy claims that Hannibal claimed that the victims here were monsters but that FBI didn‘t know it.”

Beverly shook her head. “If there was anything weird about those bodies, we would’ve noticed.”

“It’s a pretty clever excuse since it’s not like they can check to see if it’s true. Though if they know anything about the whole display aspect of the murders, it shouldn‘t fly with them. Since they’re not doing anything, some of the guys over here decided to fly to Europe and hunt him there.”

“Really?”

“According to a friend of mine, a lot of the high society people who used to dine at Hannibal’s dinner parties have pooled a lot of money together and put a bounty on his head. They’re willing to pay upwards of five million dollars for Hannibal to be brought back to the US . . . Though it‘s said they‘ll be happy if he‘s found dead in the streets of Europe. Some people want to try to claim it.”

Beverly looked skeptical. “I don’t’ know about this. It’s dangerous to underestimate him.” 

“Most of the people going are people I know. They know what they’re doing. Between them, they have tons of experience.” Dean recognized most of the names: Bobby Singer, Rufus Turner, Daniel Elkin, Gordon Walker, Kubrick, Olivia Lowry, Carl Bates, R. C. Adams, Walt, Roy, and Caleb. Ash and Frank Devereaux would be dealing with their documents, tech support and passports but would not be hunting themselves. 

“But have they ever hunted a ravenstag before?”

“Rufus said he killed one but that it wasn’t like Hannibal but a weak and starving doe. They do have a weapon that should be able to kill anything but it has to be a kill shot. Another idea they‘ve come up with is using a remote controlled explosive device but it would have to have a very high temperature to kill him and he‘d have to be right next to it. The main problem is getting any decent intelligence on his whereabouts.”

“Are you going?”

“I’m going but what I’m going to try to do is get them to go after only Hannibal and see if I can pull Will aside, away from him and out of the crossfire.”

Beverly bit her lip. “It might be hard to get Will away from Hannibal. Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome.”

“Where people start to sympathize with the guy who kidnapped them?”

“Yeah, and add in the part that Hannibal’s a psychiatrist and he turned Will into whatever the heck they are. I hate to say this but . . . As much as I want Will to come back, I don’t think I could take it if you tried to rescue him and he helped Hannibal . . .” She left the rest unsaid.

“It’s not going to come down to that.”


	2. Setting the Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will finds out why his pants are getting tight and it's not Hannibal's cooking. Hannibal finds himself facing some new developments and comes up with a plan though he keeps his own counsel for much of it. Meanwhile, Dean tells Beverly that he's leaving for Europe.

“What are you reading?” said Hannibal as he entered the villa he rented out in Florence. He had ridden a bicycle through the streets to see where the good food shops were and was pleased by what he saw. 

“Oh, it’s just a collection of the legends of King Arthur,” said Will at a table near the glass doors that led to a garden. It was one of the books he had bought in London with the shopping money Hannibal had given him. “Hey, Hannibal.”

“Yes, Will?” There is something about Will that makes him look especially radiant today, thought Hannibal. It wasn’t just the sunlight from the windows, the new set of clothes Will was wearing or the aftereffects of having eaten the bear’s heart. 

“What kind of stories do ravenstag have?”

Hannibal sat next to him as Will put a bookmark between the pages of the book and closed it. “I don’t remember that many stories but my mother did tell me a few before I went to sleep. She told me a story about the Moon and the Night. Mother Moon and Father Night slept together for an entire month while her face changed from light to dark to light again. As a result of that coupling, the Moon gave birth to children who were variable in shape and color like her but ruled the darkness like their father. They were the first ravenstags.” Hannibal looked pensive. “I haven’t thought of that story in centuries.”

“I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“No, no, I’m glad you asked. Remembering people is a way of keeping them alive and you’re the only one I know I can tell it to.” Hannibal sniffed. “You’ve been smelling unusually good. Have you been wearing anything different?”

“I haven’t been wearing any cologne lately and I haven’t changed soaps.”

“I’ll make lunch.”

“I think I might skip it. My pants are getting tighter lately.”

Hannibal frowned. “Ravenstag metabolism runs very high. The only thing that would . . .” He stopped, pressed his nose to Will’s neck and took a deep sniff before giving him a small lick. He then pulled Will’s shirt up and put his hand over the very slight bulge.

“What are you doing?” Will gave him a quizzical look. 

Hannibal sat back up and smiled radiantly. “You’re pregnant.”

Will scowled and smacked Hannibal on the head lightly. “That’s not funny. You need to cut back on adding cream to the sauces”

“I’m serious,” said Hannibal, his smile collapsing. 

Will realized that Hannibal was being serious. “Oh, my God.”

Hannibal felt a rising wave of anger until he smelled waves of intense terror from Will and Will blurted, “How is it going to come out? How did this happen?”

Hannibal chastised himself for not taking into consideration that of course, something like this would be a surprise to Will. After all, he had not anticipated this either. “Your mother was a ravenstag and you came out the usual way. I am a doctor and you know that we have enough money to rent the facilities and services of a private clinic if need be. Most newborns are small, only two or three pounds. If you are worried about your size, you will admittedly gain a little bit of a pot belly during the pregnancy but it’ll collapse soon afterwards.” He tried to say this in the most reassuring and comforting tones but it didn’t reduce Will’s agitation.

“I am a man, Hannibal.”

“No, you’re a ravenstag,” said Hannibal. “I wasn’t expecting this to happen either. But I know when conception happened. It was Christmas Day. I think you can figure out why.”

Will stood up and turned away from Hannibal. “This is a disaster.”

The four words felt like a dagger to his heart. “I know you’re scared,” said Hannibal as he stood behind Will and put his hands on his shoulders. “But please have this child.”

“Hannibal, we’re fugitives from justice.”

“Fugitives from the law, not justice.”

Will decided not to correct him. “We’re still on the run. We can’t even have a dog. How are we going to manage a child? And can you really see us as parents? Even before I joined the FBI, I decided that if I ever wanted kids, I was going to adopt because I didn’t want them to inherit my problems.”

“Will, I think you would make a lovely father,” said Hannibal. He had a brief but intense image of Will holding their child in his arms and felt an intense longing. He dropped his hands from Will’s shoulders and wrapped them around his waist. A feeling of want hit him in the gut so hard, he felt almost breathless. “I know that your own childhood was less than happy but don’t let that hold you back. Will, this is the first time a biological child has become even a possibility for me. I thought that this was a door closed to me forever. I know that this is extremely bad timing but I will do anything to ease your mind.”

“Maybe having a child is something we should do later, not now.”

Hannibal felt the usual ordered state of his mind go into a whirlwind. He knew that it was very unlikely that Will would ever put himself in this position ever again. “I have been working very hard to make Europe safe for us. Remember all those monster parts I preserved and sent by courier? They were items requested by various politicians and wealthy families all over Europe. We won‘t be extradited any time soon. Also, have we not been winning the hunting community here to our side?”

“So far . . .”

“Name a place where you would like to call home and I’ll call it home.”

“Hannibal . . .”

“At least sleep on it.” 

“There is still the bounty on your head.”

“I have lived a thousand years and have had many bounties on my head. I know how to take care of that.”

***  
“I’m leaving for Italy in two weeks,” said Dean as he slipped into Beverly's bed. He had been staying at Beverly’s place since Christmas Eve and had found a job doing construction so he could pay his share of the bills. It had been the first time since he was four that he had lived a life that was in the ballpark of normal domesticity. 

Beverly bit her lip. “Do you really have to go?”

“We finally got a fix on where they are and I’m basically the only one willing to help Will. Everybody else thinks he’s a lost cause.”

“I really got to say that your timing for announcing this is shit,” said Beverly. After all, the next day was Valentine’s Day.

“Yeah, I know it’s pretty crappy,” said Dean. 

“Do they have weapons for you at the other end? It’s not like you can fly with them.”

“Rufus has flown over there to meet with some people regarding supply issues. They even managed to get their hands on some explosives and electronics.”

“I know how much you hate flying.”

“I’ll need some of those little bottles of booze to calm myself down.”

“Just not too many so you make the plane turn around.”

“Hey!”

“Even if you do get Will away from Hannibal and Hannibal‘s killed, I think taking him back home is going to be a problem. The FBI is going to swarm around him and ask questions and I don’t see how he can answer even half of them without sounding insane.”

“A lot of my hunter friends live off the grid and under the radar. It’s not impossible if he wants to come back.”

“I don’t know, Dean. He might want to stay over there than face endless interrogation.”

“The main thing is that he doesn’t end up getting killed with Hannibal. I’ll ask him what he wants to do after the deed is done. Look, enough about that,” said Dean. “Lets talk about what we’re going to do tomorrow. I’ve already made reservations at the steakhouse . . .”

***  
Hannibal smiled at Will over the dining table. “I hope you like this dish. It’s canard a la presse or also known as pressed duck. You partially roast the duck, grind and season the liver and set aside the breast and legs. You take the rest of the duck and put it in a press to extract the juices, and then cook the extract with the liver, butter and cognac before pouring the sauce over the sliced duck breast.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“The dish is worth it,” said Hannibal. Ever since he had found out that Will was pregnant, he had gone out of his way to spoil him. He had all of Will’s clothes either replaced with a looser waist or tailored to handle a slight expansion. He had made sure to bring flowers everyday to show his appreciation. He encouraged Will to take daily vitamins and to forego drinking. He knew that Will was still worried about the future or lack thereof, however. However, Hannibal told himself that Will wouldn’t be good parent material if he didn’t worry. After all, his worries were neither imaginary nor trivial.

Will tasted the duck and closed his eyes with pleasure. “It’s excellent.” 

“I’m glad to hear that.” 

After lunch, Alberto the language tutor came by to teach Will Italian. Will had quickly picked up the usual tourist type things like introductions and asking for prices and directions but Hannibal figured that being literate would be necessary for any sort of long-term stay. He had been amused to see Will easily pick up the accent and the rhythms of the language by mirroring the tutor. While Will’s empathy had some drawbacks, he wouldn’t mind if their child had such a knack for languages. 

While Will was busy with the tutor, Hannibal turned on his laptop and decided to check to see what the hunters in America were doing. He used the passwords and ID he had picked up from the hunter that had tried to kill Will in America and lurked as he watched as they finalized their plans to come to Italy and kill him. He had been listening in on the conversations between the hunters for the past several months. At last, he thought, they’re making their move. 

He noted with intense interest that one of the hunters insisted on keeping Will out of it. He had been able to deduce that it was Beverly’s friend who had visited Will and had been able to fend him off that one night. Hannibal felt some relief because that made his plan easier. 

After the tutor left, Hannibal said, “How was your lesson?”

“I’m making some progress when it comes to writing and reading though I think I‘m always going to find speaking it easier. What‘s going on?”

“A group of American hunters are coming to kill me in a few weeks,” said Hannibal.

“What?” said Will.

“A group of . . .”

“I heard what you said. What are we going to do?”

“I’m going to take care of them, of course. Your friend, Dean Winchester, wants to save you.”

“Dean?”

“We should allow Dean to save you. I will give you a large amount of money. Since we live rather well, a few thousand euros and a credit card won’t seem too extravagant. You just happen to hang out in a public place after shopping and let him approach you. You let him take you somewhere safe.”

“What about you?”

“I will lead the rest of them on a merry chase. They are the last barrier between us and living a quiet life. Once I have taken care of them, I will send a message to the ones who sent them to take the bounty off my head.”

“Hannibal . . .”

“I will come back for you, the both of you.”

“Lets just run away . . .”

“They made the decision to come here to kill me. I had no plans to go after them. They made it a necessity.”

“Then why don’t you want me to fight with you?”

“Because on the off chance I am killed, I want you to be alive. Some of their ideas on how to kill me involve very powerful explosives that could easily take the both of us out. Call me selfish but if I die, I want something of me to live on. It’ll also keep your friend away from this business. He‘ll probably come hunt with them otherwise.” And all those arguments had a basis in truth but they skirted the main issue. While he knew that Will could kill in the name of self-defense or the defense of others, he was a bit worried about any hesitation about taking human life, especially with so many pursuers. This hunt had to be fast, brutal and pitiless with no margin for pause, remorse or error.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to get to the start of the actual "hunt" part of the story in the next chapter. There will also be a lot of violent deaths, many of them gory. 
> 
> When it came to mentions of using explosives to kill Hannibal, it came about because if one has any brains, one should not approach hunting Hannibal as one would a dangerous animal or a purely drive-based entity like a lot of hunts can be. I think one of the best villains of Supernatural was vampire!Gordon, who oozed menace not just because he had monster strength but because the contest was very much hunter vs. hunter. Also this time, unlike most hunting trips/expeditions funded by either day jobs or credit card scams, they have major funding so they can kick it up a notch. 
> 
> Oh, pressed duck is real dish! Anthony Bourdain ate it in an episode of No Reservations, IIRC. I believe he bought a duck press in a different episode. 
> 
> I'll be editing tags as I go along. I added quite a few tags for upcoming chapters. 
> 
> I'll be working on other fics as well so the next chapter may take a while.


	3. The Pledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Will are given some things to think about before they finally meet.

“You really didn’t have to drive me to the airport,” said Dean to Beverly as she was driving down the freeway with him in the passenger seat. 

“That’s what friends are for, right?” said Beverly. “Besides, you won’t have to pay for airport parking fees for the Impala this way. It’ll be safe in my garage. Are you sure that you packed enough? All you have is one carry on bag.”

“I don’t intend to stay there too long. Besides, I hate waiting at the luggage carousel. Once I find him, I’ll call you.”

“You do that. Stay safe . . . And get me a souvenir that’s not too tacky.”

Dean smiled. “I’ll be sure to do that. I think a bottle of limoncello is in order.”

“And Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“When you come back, you can stay with me as long as you like, if you want. Just saying what we got going doesn‘t have to be temporary.”

“Wow, I . . .”

Beverly didn‘t take her eyes off the road. “Don’t say anything now. Just think about it.”

***

Will woke up and found Hannibal was spooning him with his hand protectively on Will’s belly. Will gently pulled the hand away and got up from the bed. He went to the bathroom before padding his way to the kitchen. I’m starving, he thought. 

He opened the refrigerator door and considered his options. I could eat everything, he thought. 

“Will?”

Will turned to see a concerned Hannibal in the doorway. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Why are you up?”

Before Will could answer, his stomach growled so loudly they could both hear it. “That’s why,” said Will. “It doesn’t make any sense. I ate a lot for dinner.”

Hannibal smiled indulgently. “You’re eating for two.”

“I feel like I’m eating for eight,” said Will. “I ate a steak that had to be about a pound just last night.”

“I’ll make you breakfast,” said Hannibal. “Anything you want.” 

“How about cheese blintzes?”

“We should have all the ingredients for that. I‘ll also go to the basement freezer to get some sausages.” Hannibal said, “Today, how about you go out shopping for baby clothes.”

Will frowned. “You want me to shop for clothes? Really?”

“You said yourself that babies care not what they wear.”

“Yeah, but you do. What’s up?”

“The hunters have arrived and I’d like you to be gone for most of the day.”

“No.” Will shook his head. 

“I insist. After you’re done shopping, I want you to go to Pizzale Michelangelo and wait for me. If I don’t show up by sunset and your friend Dean arrives, go with your friend and continue your wait. If I don’t come to you within a month, I want you to take these . . .” Hannibal fished several keys on a key chain that looked like a black stag out of his pocket and then pulled out a folded piece of paper with a list on it. 

“What are they?”

“The paper has a list of safety deposit boxes and where they are located. Each key opens a box that holds a hundred thousand euros. A few have treasures with information about how to easily liquidate them. You and the baby won’t lack for anything.” 

“Hannibal.”

“This is merely me being cautious. Even if it appears I am dead, wait . . . Part of my plan is making them let down their guard. No matter how it looks, wait for me.”

***

Dean woke up in a plush bed in a hotel room, several grades above his usual motel haunts. Groaning, he sat up, still tired as he had difficulty relaxing enough to sleep on the flight that took more than thirteen hours. On top of that, he had killer jet lag from the time differential. However, he was used to having less sleep on much bumpier beds so after a few minutes, he got out of bed, fished his laptop out of his bag and turned it on.

After checking his e-mails that confirmed that Operation Wrath of God was a ‘go,’ he turned on the program that kept track of the GPS tracking device that Rufus had magnetically attached to Will’s car. He’s driving away from the villa, noted Dean.

Dean hurriedly put on his clothes, put his laptop in his bag, and ran out of the hotel room.  
***  
“Is everything in place?” said Roy as he held the long-range detonator in his hand. He was sitting in the car parked on top of a hill overlooking the villa.

“The explosives were installed while they both went to dinner a few nights ago,” said Gordon. “What are we waiting for? We should blow that thing sky high.”

“I promised Bobby I’d wait for a signal from Dean.”

***  
It was at Pizzale Michelangelo that Dean found Will. The square overlooked an amazing skyline of Florence and was filled with tourists, happily snapping photos of each other. In contrast, Will looked nervous and anxious as he stood as if waiting for someone. 

Dean turned on his phone and hit the speed-dial. “I see him and I’m going in right now.”

“Got it,” said Roy.

He didn’t want to give Will time to run off so he grabbed him by the shoulder and said, “It’s been a while.”

Will turned around and said, “Dean?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

"Is Beverly with you?"

"No, she's back home."

“You should go back to her."

“Will, I came here to save you.”

“It’s too late. You’ve got to tell your friends to leave. Hannibal knows you’re here.” 

Dean frowned and was about to say something when there was the sound of a muffled explosion and in the distance, they could see a fire. The next instant, they heard tourists shriek in terror and point and raise their camera phones to take pictures.

“No!” screamed Will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Limoncello is a popular lemon liqueur in Italy. 
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazzale_Michelangelo This is a real place. In my head canon, Hannibal's and Will's villa would not be in the skyline portrayed in the wiki article but in a less crowded area off screen and farther away.
> 
> Not a terribly long chapter, I know, but the next one should be longer.


	4. The Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Wrath of God seems to be a success. Dean, however, harbors doubts about its success while trying to get through to Will.

“Damn,” said Roy. “That was a huge explosion.” They had put a bomb next to the gas line inside the kitchen, creating a situation where the initial blast was further fueled by more accelerant. 

“It’s so intense I can barely look at it,” said Gordon. 

“Think anything could stand that?” said Roy.

“Unless Lecter turns out to be some kind of fire demon, I doubt it.” 

“How long do we wait to confirm he’s dead?”

“We can’t stay here too long. The cops and the ambulances will be coming soon. I guess we’ll just have to wait for the news.”

***  
“Will, we have to go,” said Dean. He had tons of questions to ask Will but he didn’t want to discuss matters out in the open.

“I promised I’d wait until sunset.”

“I know you’re hungry because your stomach’s been rumbling for the past hour. I haven’t eaten all day. We’ll go back to my hotel room and have room service serve us some pasta and steaks. Look, the sun‘s just dipped under the horizon. He's not here, let's move.”

“OK, I‘ll go,” said Will, picking up two shopping bags. 

“If you drove here, give me your keys. I’ll drive us there.”

Once they got back to Dean’s hotel room, Dean picked up the phone and called room service and looked at the menu. “Hello, yeah, I’d like to order two steaks, two salads and two beers.” He put down the phone and turned to Will, who was sitting on one of the two beds with his face in his hands.

“Will, you said that Hannibal knew we were coming,” said Dean.

“Yeah.”

“How did he know?”

“He lurked on some of the computer boards you guys talked on. I was trying to get you to stop what you all were doing and leave.”

“Oh, fuck me,” said Dean. “Did he tell you how he was going to escape?”

Will shook his head. “He didn’t tell me a thing. All he did was tell me to wait for him and gave me some money so I could take care of myself.”

“This is bad, really bad. You’re not holding back anything, are you?”

“He didn’t tell me anything,” Will insisted.

Dean hesitated before he said, “I know you have feelings for him . . . But maybe part of his plan was to ditch you. You know, two birds, one stone.” Maybe his personal loyalty is keeping him from spilling more, Dean thought. 

“He wouldn’t do that,” said Will, glaring at Dean.

Dean sighed. “What isn’t he capable of doing? The guy kills and eats people like kids eat chicken nuggets. He‘s creepier than that guy who has that skinned people museum exhibition.”

“I’m having his baby.” Will cringed at saying it. 

“Are you fucking with me?” said Dean. “I just thought you’d been hitting the pasta and cheese a bit too much.”

“Then why the hell would I buy baby clothes?” Will yelled, grabbing what was in one of the shopping bags and throwing it at Dean, showering him with tiny shirts and pajamas. 

“Holy crap!”

“If you have a computer, maybe I could check the news,” said Will as he stood up from the bed. “Maybe they have news about . . .”

Dean took out his laptop and clicked on his browser. 

“Let me type in the website,” said Will. Once he typed it in, he found an article and a video. He clicked on the video, which played in Italian. The video showed someone’s camera phone taking a shaky video of tourists reacting to the explosion and fire from where they had met, then it jump cut to a shot on the ground near the blazing house where firemen were trying to put it out. Then it cut to the fire being extinguished but the house gutted. 

“What are they saying?”

“They said that they found a body there,” said Will, tearing up.

Dean wondered what the hell to say to him considering he couldn’t even muster even the usual consideration one had for strangers when someone important to them died. 

There was a knock on the door. Dean looked through the peephole, relaxed, opened the door and the server wheeled their meals in.

***  
“Hello?” said Beverly. She had just gotten home from work when she heard the phone ring.

“Hey, it’s Santa, baby.”

“Dean? It must be after midnight where you are.”

“It is but I’m used to staying up. I got Will but . . .” 

“Is he hurt?”

“No, he’s . . . He’s a mess, emotionally. I don‘t know what to say to him. I can‘t say I‘m sorry for his loss because I‘m not.”

“I saw that link to that Italian news video you sent earlier today. I don’t know how anybody could’ve survived that.”

“The problem is that he’s a tricky bastard. He knew we were coming.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Will said that he knew we were coming but the news said a body came out of there. I asked Will if they used any butlers or servants. He said the only person they had hired was an Italian tutor named Alfredo. So, we drove over to the guy’s house and he was still in one piece. I thought that Hannibal might’ve tried to use his body as a decoy. I’m still worried though, so I called Bobby and asked him to make damn sure that body‘s Hannibal‘s. Meanwhile, I’m going to help Will find another place to live and discuss his options before I come home.”

“How long will that take?”

“I don’t know. I should be back in a few weeks. And Beverly?”

“Yeah.”

“I . . . I’ll call you again once I get to the airport. I miss you.”

“Miss you, too.” 

What she had told him on the way to the airport was left untouched. 

***  
Olivia Lowry, one of the hunters who was part of the mission, was in her hotel room, cleaning the gun she had been given in case the original plan failed and they had to hunt him down in the usual way. When her phone started ringing, she put her gun down and turned it on. “Hello?”

“It’s Bobby.”

“Is there anything wrong?”

“No, I just called to confirm that the body they pulled out of there is indeed Hannibal’s.”

“Great!”

“I’ve got another piece of news.”

“What?”

“Since there‘s still money in the bank accounts left over from the operation, I’m going to hold a party at my place to celebrate. It starts at 8 o’clock.”

“I’ll be there.”  
***  
All the hunters had been invited to a party at the small isolated cottage that Bobby had rented. Bobby was behind a bar he had set up with a dozen bottles and three dozen glasses. There was a bucket of ice and sets of tongs for people who liked their drinks on the rocks. 

Caleb said, “Where’s Dean?”

Bobby smiled ruefully. “Oh, he’s taking care of Will.” 

Walt said, “Who’s Will?”

“Hannibal’s bitch.“ Gordon snorted. “Dean should just kill that piece of shit in the middle of the night then set his remains on fire so he can join him in hell.”

“I think that we should just celebrate that our house warming for Hannibal Lecter was a roaring success,” said Bobby.

A few of the other hunters chuckled at the joke. 

“Since it‘s not coming out of my pocket, I bought the very best. It‘s not like we‘ll ever taste the likes of this stuff ever again,” Bobby said referring to the secret accounts paying for the hunt. “This party has an open bar.”

The hunters lined up and enjoyed glasses full of Remy Martin X.O. cognac, Don Julio 1942 tequila and various single malt whiskies. Walt sighed as he took a sip. “This is some grade A stuff.”

“Sure you got enough,” said Olivia. “I’ve seen some of these guys drink half a bottle.”

“I made sure,” said Bobby.

Another two rounds was had by all. And that’s when the lights went out and shots started to be fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why I don't do long fics. Continuity is always a headache. I also will be putting up the next chapter today. Also certain things you may have questions about may be answered in the next chapter. 
> 
> Gas line explosions can be pretty ferocious. 
> 
> I have Dean swear more because I firmly believe only network standards keep him from cable-level swearing.
> 
> Florence, Italy is about six hours ahead of Baltimore so 6 p.m. in Baltimore is midnight in Florence.


	5. The Prestige

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter shows the events leading up to the shooting at the end of chapter 4.

A Month Ago

“That’s a huge freezer you’re putting in the basement,” said Will as he watched the men take the parts downstairs to be reassembled in the basement.

“We need to store the meat from our kills. While I much prefer fresh meat, a rare beast is something worth keeping if it can‘t be eaten all at once.”

“It’s still huge.”

“It’s a custom job. The freezer is built to run for a day on battery power even if the power goes off,” said Hannibal. He didn’t say anything about making sure the walls were bullet proof or that its air filtration could screen out poison gas or that it could serve double duty as a panic room. “I want to store entire carcasses in there without having to cut it into pieces first.”

“So basically, a walk-in closet of meat.”

Hannibal had to laugh at that. 

***  
Thirty-Six Hours Ago

“You can’t try to contact me or find me. Wait for me to find you. I need them to believe their plan has worked before I can strike back at them. It can‘t work if your friend overhears you contacting me. It would put you in danger,” said Hannibal as he and Will stood in the hallway leading to the front door.

“You haven’t even told me what your plan is!”

“Because that’s part of the plan.” Hannibal took Will into his arms. “Do you think that I would do anything that would keep me from seeing our child born? Do you?”

"No, of course not."

“Then please go and wait for me.” Hannibal kissed him on the lips then on the forehead before letting him go. 

Once he saw that Will had driven away from the living room window, Hannibal hurried down to the walk-in freezer downstairs with a briefcase stuffed with the things he needed and a folding chair. He stepped inside, knowing that once Dean saw Will, their plan would start rolling. He locked the freezer from the inside. He could’ve tried to find the bomb and disarm it but then they would know that he knew about their plan, scatter and simply form another plan. There was also the likelihood that he might accidentally end up blasting himself to pieces if he failed to disarm it properly. 

He put down the briefcase, unfolded the chair, locked the freezer door from the inside and sat down to await however long it took for the attack to happen. 

Thirty-Two Hours Ago

He closed his eyes and went into his mind palace where he remembered a night that happened a week ago.

Hannibal was spooning Will in bed with his hand on his hip. 

“I thought that you would be less interested in sex ever since I’ve gotten squishy, not more,” said Will. 

“Nonsense. You have no idea how good you smell or how much it excites me knowing I’m going to be a father. Will?”

“What?”

“We should start to think about names.”

“It still feels pretty unreal. I haven’t thought of any.”

“If the baby is a girl, how about we name her Mischa after my sister?”

“Mischa . . . Mischa works. How about if it‘s a boy?”

“How about Robert? That’s the name my uncle used.”

“Sounds good.”

Hannibal kissed Will’s left shoulder. 

Hannibal’s reverie was interrupted by the freezer rocking violently as if shaken by an earthquake. He turned on the camera that showed what was outside the freezer and saw what appeared to be the inside of a bonfire. There was no way he could leave without being burned and the fire looked so intense that it would take hours to put out. 

***

Thirty-One Hours Ago

Hannibal could hear the motor keeping the freezer cool straining so he turned up the thermostat so it wouldn’t have to work as hard. The fire outside was being fought but it still wasn’t out. The one thing that was helping keep the interior cool was the huge amount of meat that had been frozen solid and only now was slowly starting to thaw. 

He tried to keep calm, to keep his oxygen consumption to a minimum. If the motor conked out, he’d bury himself under the still cold meat to help shield him from the heat and try not to waste oxygen on terror and useless motion. 

Even as one part of his mind made plans about what to do if things got worse, another part of his mind raged at being driven from what he had hoped to be their new home.

***  
Twenty-Eight Hours Ago

There was a knock on the freezer door. Hannibal opened his eyes, threw off the cocoon of meat he had wrapped around himself, looked through the camera and relaxed when he saw that it was the police chief. He opened the door. 

The police chief Dante jumped back, both in surprise that there was someone alive in there and the smell of Hannibal’s clothes that were now soaked in the liquid the meat had released while thawing. “You told me you’d be in there but I didn’t think you’d actually be alive,” he said in Italian.

“Glad to see you too,” said Hannibal in the same language. The police chief was not only a police chief but also a hunter he had helped on some cases.

“So was this done by Americans who wanted to kill you?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“I don’t see your . . . friend with you.” Dante wasn’t completely comfortable with the relationship Hannibal had with Will but didn't feel like making a fuss about it.

“I sent him off with a friend for his safety. He knows nothing about this.”

“This was done in my jurisdiction. I can’t have people blow houses up in my city, especially a city crawling with tourists.”

“As I suggested, frame it as an accidental gas leak caused by the renter, trying to fix his oven. Mention that you found the body of the man who caused the accident in the house. An unfortunate incident that should blow over by the next news cycle.”

“Don’t you want an investigation? They did try to kill you.”

“No, it’s much too complicated and would become an international muddle if my true identity was to be revealed. This is no pathway to glory but only towers of paperwork and accusations of how much you knew when you knew it. No. All I ask is that you do as I ask and let me handle any and all problems myself. I promise I shall be most discreet and leave your citizens out of it.”

Dante looked most troubled. He was not a corrupt man by any means but had learned to bend the rules and look the other way when it came to supernatural matters and the people who dealt with them. 

Hannibal sighed. “I am not asking you to arrest anybody or kill anybody or dirty your hands in any way. I am merely asking for help from one hunter to another. As I once did when your daughter was being stalked by that vampire boyfriend . . . I not only wiped him out but destroyed the entire nest. Then there was that time I found that witch who . . .”

“Enough, enough.“ Dante nodded wearily. “I will do as you suggest.”

Hannibal smiled. “If you have a problem with any other supernatural menaces in the future, you may count on my assistance.” 

***

Twenty-Two Hours Ago

Bobby Singer walked into the cottage he rented, one hand holding the keys and the other holding a bottle of whiskey. Before he could turn the lights on, Hannibal hit him so hard in the temple that it stunned him for the few seconds it took for Hannibal to grab hold of his neck and twist it. Bobby dropped to the floor along with his bottle. 

Hannibal dragged the body to the bathroom and put him in the bathtub. “You know things I need to know, Bobby Singer,” said Hannibal as he disrobed the man and washed the corpse. 

Hannibal opened his leather bag that held his butchering tools. Despite the age and condition of the man, Hannibal felt his mouth water. It had been a while since he had eaten human flesh. He deftly cut the skull with a bone saw so he could lift the top of it off so he could get to the brain. Once he did so, he took a spoon from his bag and started eating. As he did, information and memories seeped into his brain.

He had just finished eating the brain when Bobby’s cell phone rang from the pile of clothing he had stripped off the corpse. “Hello?” he said, using Bobby’s voice.

“Hey, Bobby, it’s Dean.”

“What is it?” 

“Look, about Hannibal. Can you make sure the body that they got out of there is actually Hannibal?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s Hannibal freaking Lecter, Bobby. Is there any way you or Rufus can go down there and get access to the morgue to check that it’s really him? I know that the FBI might not count as much here as it does back home but . . .”

“I was going to do that tomorrow morning,” he said. “Boy, you don’t need to tell me how to do my business. I‘ve been doing this since before you knew your ABCs.”

“No need to get so testy. I’m just trying to give Will some closure.”

“You’ve done all that you need to do for him. Just hop on a plane and go home. No need to go above and beyond, idjit,” said Hannibal. 

“You can go ahead. I don‘t feel right just dumping him at a house while he‘s such a mess.” 

Hearing that irritated Hannibal greatly. He had hoped that Dean would simply go home once he was sure Will was OK. “If it is him and I’m sure it is, I’ll be holding a party tomorrow tonight. Just the guys and some bottles of some primo hootch. Interested?”

“Nah, I’ll pass. I don’t like leaving him to go to a party celebrating his house being set on fire. I got to go. Bye.”

Hannibal frowned. This Dean Winchester may be more trouble than I thought. 

***  
Now

The second the lights were out, Hannibal put in earplugs, turned into his true form so he had night vision, pulled out two .45 caliber handguns with suppressors he had concealed underneath the counter top of the bar and began shooting. The first person he shot was Olivia, who was the closest. A bullet to her forehead exited with such force that a part of the back of her skull came flying off. The next was Roy who had his back turned to him, then Walt, who was shot in the back of the head and had the slug emerge from his face, spraying the others with blood spray and gray matter.

The sound of the guns going off was still loud in an enclosed space but the suppressors still had several advantages. By cutting down on the recoil, it made him able to shoot without pause and concealed muzzle flash, keeping things as dark as possible. 

Their minds muddied by the alcohol, the hunters reached for their holsters or the guns in the small of their back. They pulled them out and tried firing into the darkness only to be taken down with a bullet either through the temple or their heart A couple were killed by friendly fire. Kubrick tried fleeing the cottage only to be felled by a shot through the neck in the hallway. 

It was over in a matter of five minutes. 

After putting down his guns and turning on the lights, Hannibal felt jittery and tired and irritated all at the same time. He disliked using guns as they were loud, messy and artless things. Even being surrounded by a smorgasbord of fresh meat and a pool of crimson did not bring him any real pleasure. He couldn’t feel at ease until he saw Will and fed him what he needed. But he wasn’t done yet. He had to make sure that the people who sent hunters to kill him got the message that they were not to send any more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are at least two or three more chapters after this one. 
> 
> The timing was the trickiest part. 
> 
> I've heard of a factory fire where some of the survivors were found in the freezer though some still perished inside the freezer due to many factors. It's also been known for people to go into a state where they don't need as much oxygen though usually it's a state where they are subjected to extreme cold and not the position Hannibal found himself in. Though it has also been done by people who have extremely good control over their bodies. 
> 
> Hannibal's ability to pick up both traits & information from the people whose brain he eats is mentioned in the second story of this trilogy. In case you skipped the second story of the trilogy, it is a riff on an urban legend (busted) where flatworms learned to navigate a maze when fed flatworms that had already learned to navigate the maze. Note that while the information is pretty much well transferred, there may be problems with perfectly mimicking the personality of the person being consumed. 
> 
> If the police captain had balked, Hannibal has enough pull to go over his head. But it would have been messy & taken longer.
> 
> Not a gun owner, but on the web, it seems the consensus is that .45 caliber guns have more stopping power than a 9mm though a 9mm seems to result in the projectile having more speed. Also silencers or suppressors don't make things whisper quiet per Hollywood movies. 
> 
> Hannibal does not seem that partial to guns in the TV series IIRC but reverts to them (and using alcohol) due to the number and seasoned abilities of his opponents and time pressure.
> 
> I hope everything makes sense so far.


	6. By the Seashore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal finishes cleaning up and goes to pick up Will only to find that Dean has taken Will on a road trip. Hannibal is not a happy camper. Dean helps Will fish for something that'll calm his cravings.

“A road trip?” said Will as he looked at the plate that held a hearty breakfast of a three egg omelet, two pieces of toast, three pieces of bacon and a cup of coffee. 

“Yeah,” said Dean before he bit into a bombolone, an Italian filled doughnut he had bought from a nearby bakery. “Wow, these are awesome.” 

“I don’t know. I don’t really feel like doing anything.” 

“Do you still like to fish?” said Dean. 

“Yeah, but all my fishing equipment‘s gone . . .” Along with . . . Will clenched his fists to keep from crying in front of him. He knew that all it did was freak Dean out and didn’t make him feel any better.

“We could buy some supplies once we’re there.” 

Will’s stomach growled.

Dean raised an eyebrow. “People think my stomach‘s a bottomless pit but you got me beat.”

“It’s been like that ever since . . .”

“You got knocked up . . .”

Once Will started eating, he didn’t stop until the plate was clean. It’s no good, he thought, I’m just not satisfied. It’s not what I need to eat. Suddenly, he remembered something he had looked up a week ago. “If you really want to help me then there’s somewhere I need to go . . . I think it‘ll interest you, too.”

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I’m game.”

***  
Hannibal spent all night and most of the next day butchering his kills and cleaning the house to keep his promise to the police captain that he wouldn’t leave him with a mess on his hands. For the bodies, he stuck to draining them of blood by hanging them upside down over the tub, skinning, cutting off the heads and forearms to put aside for another project, gutting them and cutting them in half instead of further breaking it down into cuts before putting them into the freezers he had rented. 

He took a long shower in the now empty and clean tub. He wanted to drive over to where Will was immediately but didn’t want to look or smell like a mess when he saw him again. He went to bed begrudgingly to blunt his exhaustion. Before he closed his eyes, he pondered how he was going to get Will away from Dean with a minimum of noise and fuss. I suppose I will have to go as that old man Dean respects so much, he thought. Yes, that would be best. 

The next morning, Hannibal altered his form and drove over to the hotel where Dean was staying at. He walked over to the check-in counter. “Hello, I am trying to reach a Leonard Skinnard.” He simply could not believe that how Bobby remembered the name was really how the name was spelled.

“I don’t see someone with that name.”

“How about Lynyrd Skynyrd?” said Hannibal, spelling the name out for the counter person.

The counter person typed in the name, looked at the screen and said, “I’m sorry but he’s already checked out.”

“He checked out? Did he say where he was going?”

“He did leave a note saying that he was leaving with Will in hopes a road trip would boost his spirits. I don’t know if that means anything to you.”

“I will have to try calling him.” Hannibal struggled but managed to give a polite smile to the woman. After all, she had done her duty courteously. 

However, his smiled faded the second he turned his back on her and he stormed back to his car. He picked up his cell phone then tried to think of how he was going to get Dean to tell him where they were. 

“Hello, Dean?” he said, using Bobby’s voice.

“Yeah, what is it, Bobby?”

“How are you?”

“I’m fine. Did you go to the morgue?”

“Yes, I checked myself. It was Hannibal’s body. I crosschecked with Ash using dental records. How is your new buddy?” It took actual effort to keep his voice calm and emotionless.

“Oh, you know, totally distraught and at a loss for what to do next. That asshole did a real number on him.”

Hannibal clenched his jaw at the insult. “I got your message at the hotel. Where are you now?”

“We‘re at a gas station right now. Will wanted to stop for some ice cream. Why?”

That is so unhelpful, thought Hannibal. “What do you plan on doing with him, Dean?”

“Since you confirmed that Hannibal’s dead, I’m going to encourage him to think ahead and move on. You and the guys can go back on the plane. I’ve totally got it covered.”

“I . . . don’t like you being alone with him. You don’t know what he’s capable of doing. Let me catch up to you and help you out.”

“You got the situation all wrong. I’m not trying to keep him prisoner. Uh, look, he’s coming back so I need to cut this short. Bye.” Dean hung up on him.

Hannibal roared with rage and pounded on the steering wheel as he realized he had no idea where Will was and he couldn’t call back without raising suspicions. 

***  
“Procida’s really sweet looking,” said Dean as he looked at the view overlooking the fishing village. 

“It is,” said Will. “They filmed Il Postino here.”

“I can see why. Not that Florence wasn’t pretty . . . ” Will had told him on the way there that he suspected that several fisherman had been killed by a Scylla, a type of mermaid nowhere near as pretty as the Disney version. Dean thought wryly to himself, They never are. “I guess iron spears are the weapon du jour.”

“There’s just one thing we have to do differently.”

“What?”

“Instead of burning it to ash, I need to eat it.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “Eat it?”

“I’ve been craving really fresh meat and not meat from a butcher shop. It has to be meat from a beast like them.”

Dean shook his head. “Damn, your baby’s picky.”

***  
Hannibal went back to Bobby’s house to think. He took out a map of Italy and tried to guess where Dean would’ve taken Will. 

Thinking carefully, he remembered that Dean had left a message that he was taking Will on a road trip. Therefore they were probably going to stay in Italy somewhere and not fly to another country. Guessing that Dean would want Will to go somewhere he would enjoy, Hannibal guessed that Will might want to go fishing at one of the many lakes or rivers Italy had. Hannibal frowned. That didn’t help much. What else . . . 

Hannibal remembered that Will had not taken any of the meat that had been in the freezer and would soon have cravings that no grocery could possibly satisfy. As much as he enjoyed the thought of Will losing control and ripping chunks of flesh out of Dean’s neck and chest as the man screamed in terror, he knew that Will would rather lose the baby than do that. Hannibal scowled at Will’s foolhardy resistance to eating humans that didn’t try to kill him. 

He couldn’t help worrying what would happen if Dean ever suspected that the entire team had been wiped out. He feared that Dean would try to kill Will in revenge or hurt him enough that there would be a miscarriage. This increased the amount of pressure to find Will as soon as possible.

Hannibal remembered that Will had been doing research on finding their next hunt just a week ago. He closed his eyes and went to the place and time where Will had been on the computer, looking up articles that pointed to the presence of something that they could both enjoy. 

“I think I might have found something,” said Will. “And this time, it could be seafood.” 

So definitely the coast, he thought. There would be articles regarding multiple killings or deaths mentioned. I should’ve looked over his shoulder at the screen but I didn’t. I need to do some research. 

***  
It was midnight under a full moon as they went a mile off shore in a rented fishing boat. Along with the spears, machetes, nets and butchering equipment, Will had taken aboard multiple coolers filled with dry ice and containers full of liquid nitrogen. 

“You used to work on a commercial fishing vessel?” said Will after Dean turned off the boat engine.

“Yeah, I used to work on one of those boats in Alaska during the summer. It was nice money but scary and cold as fuck. Also, I had to pretty much burn my clothes and marinate in baking soda and dishwashing liquid to get the smell out after the season was over. It also put me off fish for months afterwards. What‘s with the dry ice and the nitrogen? I know what they‘re used for but . . .” 

“I‘ve gotten picky when it comes to food. Flash freezing it keeps it fresh and tasty.” 

“So, you’ve been eating Scyllas all this time?” said Dean. 

“Not just Scyllas but djinns, pagan gods, Arachnes, Black Dogs, Kelpies, lots of stuff.”

“What do they taste like? They can’t all taste like chicken.”

“They don’t. Arachne’s legs have a mild white fish flavor with a texture like lobster. Maybe you should try some . . .”

Dean shook his head. “Some monsters have poison in their systems. You don’t get sick?”

“No, I guess I’m immune.”

Dean threw out the big bucket of chum into the water. They waited for fifteen minutes. 

“Ok, we threw out the chum and . . . Nothing.”

“There’s one thing that’ll have it come charging to the surface.”

“What?”

“Human blood. We can’t use my blood because it’ll have the opposite effect. And remember do not let them bite or scratch you, they‘ve got venom in their fangs and claws.”

Sighing, Dean took out a knife and sliced a shallow cut into his left arm, dripping blood into the water. A few minutes later, the water seemed to be boiling on that side of the boat. 

“Whoa,” said Dean. “Someone thinks I’m tasty.” He put on his earplugs and picked up a spear as did Will.

They felt the boat being rocked back and forth as if something underneath was trying to tip it over. Dean looked over the side and saw three Scyllas shrieking at him. “Fuck, there’s more than one of them.” 

One of them leaped clear out of the water and reached out to scratch him but he hurled a spear through its chest, causing it to fall back unto the deck, writhing in its death throes. Meanwhile, Will had thrown his spear at another one and nailed it through the eye, causing a shriek that might’ve deafened if they weren’t wearing protection, before Dean rammed a spear through its mouth. They pulled it aboard before Will took a machete, sliced off the head and arms and threw them overboard. 

The remaining living one dove into the water. “It got away!” yelled Dean.

“Don’t be afraid,” said Will.

“Afraid of what?” said Dean.

Will transformed into his ravenstag form, stripped off his clothes, picked up a machete and dove into the water. 

“Will, what the hell are you doing?” Dean yelled. He looked at the water but could see nothing. He started to wonder how he was going to tell Beverly that Will had drowned chasing a mermaid under his watch when a decapitated Scylla without arms erupted from the water, flew through the air and unto the boat. Will’s head popped out of the water. “Give me a hand.”

Dean helped Will get back onboard. “A little warning next time?”

“Sorry.” Once onboard, Will turned back to human form. 

They turned up the lights, destroying any illusion that the Scylla‘s face was in any way human. “Man, these are some ugly fish,” said Dean. “Want help butchering them?”

“Cut off the head and arms and cut them in half around the waist.”

“I hope that for your sake, they taste better than they look.”

***  
The next morning, Will sighed as he looked at the empty plate that had held a two pound piece of the Scylla’s tail. He finally felt full and the cravings had stopped. 

“So what did it taste like?” said Dean at the other end of the kitchen table.

“It tastes like fatty tuna, oily but in good way. As for the white meat, I’m going to make ceviche or maybe put it in a smoker. Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I should’ve said it earlier but . . .”

Dean shrugged. “You had other things on your mind.”

“I still mean it though. Is there anything you want?”

“I don’t need you to buy me anything.”

“I have a lot of info about monsters that you might not have.” 

“You mean, compare notes?”

“Yeah.”

Dean smiled. “Cool.”

“I think this will last me quite a while. I didn’t expect to get three at once.”

Dean paused before he said, “This seems like a nice place. You got a full freezer for now. You’re not hurting for scratch. If you know any hunters or anybody who peddles in magic items, you might be able to buy some meat off them if you run out. This would be a good place for you to think things over.”

“I . . . I suppose.” Will didn’t want to mention that he felt he should return to Florence because he still believed Hannibal was alive even if Dean’s friend had confirmed his death. Will didn’t think he’d believe it even if he saw the body. Before they had driven to Procida, he had gone to the police station but had found himself frozen on the steps, unable to go in. The police captain Dante, a hunter he had worked with regarding a vampire‘s nest, had seen him, took him aside and told him that the body was burned beyond visual identification and that he could handle things by having the body cremated and put into the urn that Will could pick up at a local funeral home once all the paperwork and investigation was done. Will had agreed. 

“What do you think you’ll do now?”

“I can’t go back. I mean to the US,” said Will. “Even if I don’t end up in jail or interrogated relentlessly by the FBI about my time with Hannibal, I’m sure I’ll be Freddie Lounds’ favorite pinup.” 

“I figured as much. What about . . .” Dean said, pointing at Will’s belly.

“I know it sounds crazy but I want to keep it.”

“Being a single dad is hard row to hoe. I also have to warn you that if your kid takes after Hannibal . . . He might end up the same way.”

“I’ll figure out a way. I made a promise.” Will started to tear up and wiped them away with his sleeves. “You’ve done a lot already. I shouldn’t be keeping you . . . I bet you just can’t wait to go home and see Beverly.” When he noticed Dean hesitate, he said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s . . .”

“If nothing was wrong, you’d be gushing about her . . .”

“She asked me to move in with her . . . permanently.”

“And you don’t want to?”

“The thing is that I want to but I don‘t deserve to.” Dean sighed. “I have nothing to offer her.”

Will rolled his eyes. “You’re a man with a good heart.” Also, he thought, Bev isn’t blind.

“All I’ve got is a GED and I know that her family will have problems with her being with a guy who has nothing to his name . . .”

“She chose you, Dean. Don’t forget that. You can always fix being uneducated. When I was a baby, my mother disappeared and my dad used to go all over the place to find work, dragging me with him. I didn’t want to be like him so I went to night school and took classes in psychology. Then I went to the police academy and ended up in New Orleans before finally deciding I should try the FBI. It’s not impossible. I‘m sure she‘d support you going back to school.”

“You forget that I hunt. The two months I’ve spent with her . . . They’re the longest I’ve spent in one place ever since my dad died.”

“Then you might have to make some hard choices. But I do have to say this. If she’s the one who got you to stay in one place for the longest time in years then something made you stay. One of these days you’ll have to retire hunting and then what’ll you have? You have the right to be happy, too.”

Dean smiled. “That’s what she said.”

“I think she has a point.” 

“It’s been a while since I had a friend I could talk about this with. I can call on any of the guys to help with a hunt but I can’t really talk to them about this kind of thing.”

“You’re the first person I’ve really talked to since I left the country . . .”

Dean frowned. “What about that Alfredo guy? He seemed nice.”

“He is. It’s just that most of the time we concentrated on me learning Italian and unfortunately, I don’t have any interest in soccer or the World Cup. Most of the time, Hannibal is listening and serving the both of us snacks. It’s been like that with most of the people Hannibal hires as help. Besides, it‘s not like I can talk much about who I really am.”

“Sounds lonely.”

Will shrugged. “I’m not really a people person.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

***  
Beverly had just come back from going out for a drink with Jimmy and Brian when her phone rang. “Hello?”

“It’s me, Dean.”

“Dean!”

“I’ll be coming home soon. I think Will’s in a good place now or as good as he can be. He’s not coming back with me for the reasons we talked about. He also says that he really appreciates all of the guys taking care of his dogs.” 

“Can I talk to him?”

“He’s asleep right now. But I’ll try to get him on the phone before I leave.”

“What flight are you coming back on?”

“I have to check online but I should be back in a couple days. Oh, and Bev?”

“What?”

“The answer is yes. Yes, I want to move in with you. I just hope that you can put up with me because it‘s not going to be easy and . . .” 

“Dean, shut up. It’s going to be fine. I‘ll be at the airport.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The typical Italian breakfast is quite a bit lighter than Will's meal. It's cookies or bread with coffee. Of course, the hotel caters to tourists with different habits.
> 
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Procida1.jpg is a nice view of Procida. Il Postino is an actual movie.
> 
> Flash freezing keeps ice crystals small so cells aren't damaged, keeping the texture and overall quality of the meat much closer to fresh. 
> 
> My head canon for Beverly's family is that they're middle-class due to her mentioning violin lessons, no mention of making do, etc. 
> 
> I hope the next chapter is the last one.

**Author's Note:**

> Bear meat should be cooked thoroughly and should not be eaten raw in real life. The ravenstag's system is up to the task, however. 
> 
> Dean is a solitary hunter in this AU while Sam is living the normal life with Jess. The Apocalyptic storyline never happened in this verse. 
> 
> More characters will be added in the next chapter.


End file.
